Pop culture is packed with Powerful Superheroes who can soar through the sky at amazing speeds, punch through mountains, or do other amazing feats.
For this list, we have excluded characters that are universe creators, or else, we would probably end up with god, from Bruce Almighty or Marvel’s One-Above-All at the top of this list. Otherwise, we don’t care if it’s Marvel, DC, or any of the others. Here, we’re just looking for the most powerful superheroes ever, Period!
15 Most Powerful Superheroes Ever
15/15. Hancock (MCU)
Now, we know we’re opening this list of superheroes with what may seem like a surprise entry. But it’s no surprise really. Hancock is just unbelievingly strong. He is able to easily grab a whale by the tail and throw it a kilometer out into the sea. He can drop an SUV from hundreds of meters up, let it fall most of the way, then just grab it and swing it around like it’s made of paper. Hancock’s powers are so robust that when he gets hit by a train he doesn’t move at all. The train, however, doesn’t stand a chance.
He is, of course, bulletproof and doesn’t mind getting shot a bazillion times. Hancock is also a very skilled fighter, with the advantage of several millennia of fighting experience. In addition to his superhuman powers, and flight abilities, he can also control and summon high winds and tornadoes. In short, although Hancock might not match up to the likes of Thor or Hulk, we feel he definitely deserves a spot on our list of the most powerful superheroes ever.
14/15. Sentry (Marvel)
Robert Reynolds is a drug addict who broke into a laboratory and consumed an experimental serum called the Golden Sentry Serum. The serum gained him the power of a million exploding suns. He soon sews together a costume and makes his debut as the optimistic blonde superhero.
But the arrival of the Void, a shadowy monster that exploited its enemy’s greatest fears, ended the Sentry’s charmed life. Reynolds soon discovers that the Void had been the dark aspect of his own powers. To stop him, Reynolds teams with other superheroes to create a system that makes Earth’s entire population forget his existence. With the Sentry inactive and forgotten, the Void vanished.
The Sentry’s superhuman powers and abilities are derived from Golden Sentry Serum. Which granted him photokinetic-based powers, essentially being fueled by the sun itself (Reminds you of someone? He’s not referred to as “Marvel’s Superman” for nothing).
His various powers seem to be based on molecule manipulation or reality-warping. All stemming from his base solar-charged body. Through molecule manipulation, he has super-strength powers that enable him to lift well over 100 tons easily.
He can travel to the sun in seconds. Thus making him way faster than light, immortality, light projection, and many other powers. It should be mentioned that Marvel dubbed The Sentry as the world’s most powerful superhero at some point in time.
13/15. Wonder Woman (DC Universe)
Aka Princess Diana of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is the daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. And the daughter of Zeus, the mightiest and most powerful Gods of Olympus. Diana voluntarily leaves behind her home of Themyscira to fight for justice and equality everywhere. She is the true champion of the Amazona’s message of peace.
Upon leaving for Man’s World, Diana is gifted with various superhuman powers by the Gods of Olympus. Her powers include inhuman strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, and healing. She is a master combatant and can generate energy blasts through her Bracelets of Submission. Thus making her one of the most dreaded warriors in fiction.
12/15. Hulk
Doctor Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, is a well-known theoretical physicist. He was bombarded with a massive dose of gamma rays. As a result, Banner was mutated into the huge, rage-fueled, nearly mindless creature known as The Incredible Hulk.
Fearful of the damage that Hulk could inflict, as well as fleeing from the military, he goes on the run. He is later recruited to the Avengers by S.H.I.E.L.D. They realize that the incredible powers of Banner’s alter-ego, Hulk, would be an additional asset to the team.
Hulk is a giant green-skinned humanoid with immense strength fueled by his rage. As a result, the angrier he gets the stronger he becomes. If he were to ever face off an opponent stronger than him, he would probably lose due to his anger management issues.
He is able to withstand blows and attacks of considerable force; even high-caliber bullets bounce off him and flames cause him little damage. Also, regardless of his size, Hulk has superhuman strength allows him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of a human being.
Hulk’s incredible strength allows him to rip steel apart as if it were made of paper. He can break vehicles with a single punch, and create a powerful thunderclap to stop a military helicopter from blowing up. Or, throw a tank at a considerable distance. Thus, making him, by definition, one of the most powerful superheroes on Earth, if not the strongest.
11/15. Martian Manhunter (DC Comics)
Described as the Swiss army knife of superheroes, J’onn J’onzz is the Martian Manhunter. He is an alien from Mars who became one of the most powerful superheroes. And one of Earth’s biggest protectors after becoming stranded on Earth.
Through his alien physiology and some genetic modifications, J’onn possesses many of the powers of Superman. For example, super strength and speed, flight, super-breath, and regeneration.
On top of that, he also masters the powers such as shape-shifting, invisibility, phasing (through walls), and telepathy. No wonder Martian Manhunter is number eleven on the most powerful superheroes list. Superman himself described Martian Manhunter as one of the most powerful superhero beings, he is afraid to face. We think this statement says it all and deserves a spot on our most powerful superheroes list.
10/15. Flash (DC Universe)
We know what you’re saying: what is the fastest man alive doing on this list? Isn’t he just fast? Well, that’s the biggest misconception about Flash.
The powerful superhero in addition to his speed, the dark matter lightning that struck him also augmented his bones, and entire physiology to easily handle the rigors of his incredible powers. High-level friction, inertia, air pressure, reduced oxygen, and kinetic impact no longer affect him.
The speedster also has the ability to think and act faster than the speed of light. Not only that, but he can phase through walls and other matters. He can read and acquire knowledge at a hyperextended rate. That’s even without getting into his ability to travel in time and between different dimensions.
But more than anything, the Flash is indeed fast. Just how fast is he, you ask? Well, fast enough to outrun death. And that’s why The Flash takes the tenth spot on our list of most powerful superheroes.
9/15. Thor (MCU)
The Asgardian God of Thunder and a founding member of the Avengers, Thor is currently the most powerful Asgardian within the Nine Realms. As an Asgardian, Thor possesses a list of diverse superhuman powers. His incredible superhuman strength enables him to lift or move immensely heavy objects effortlessly. Such as when he was able to easily catch a falling car with one arm. Thor is also virtually invulnerable, as his skin, muscle, and bone tissue have many times the density of the same tissue in the body of a human being. Thus making him impenetrable to human weaponry.
Thor was born with the power to control the weather. That’s the reason he is called The God of Thunder. He also has his Warrior’s Madness state. When overwhelmed, it increases his strength tenfold and rises his pain tolerance to a phenomenal degree.
We believe the diversity of his powers should earn him a higher place on this list. However, Thor ended a battle with Hulk in a stalemate. Still, Thor is the perfect warrior and one of the most powerful superheroes ever.
8/15. Goku
Born Kakarot, Goku is an alien from a warrior race, who was sent to Earth as an infant to conquer it. However, a head injury at an early age alters his memory and makes him lose his initial destructive nature.
He grows up to become one of Earth’s greatest protectors. Goku constantly trains himself to be the greatest warrior possible. He scans the planet for the seven Dragon Balls that, when untied, have the power to summon the Eternal Dragon. It can grant (usually) one wish(s).
Goku is an immortal warrior. Actually, he is one of anime’s most powerful superheroes in the manga universe. Often referred to (including by deities) as the most powerful and fittest warrior in Universe 7 (our universe), as well as one of the most powerful characters in all the twelve universes.
A prodigy of combat, Goku continues to near-effortlessly learn practically any new technique he encounters. His natural talent for battle along with his unwavering drive has taken his power to unprecedented levels.
To the point of reaching and rivaling the domain of the Gods of Destruction – deities. The mightiest entities in the multiverse, strong enough to be universally feared.
7/15. The Silver Surfer (Marvel Comics)
One of the noblest cosmic entities in the universe. The Silver Surfer treasures freedom above all else, but has often sacrificed his liberty for the greater good. Born Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-La, the Silver Surfer was originally part of an extremely long-lived and technologically advanced humanoid race.
But life changed for him when a menacing alien spacecraft pierced Zenn-La’s defense systems. Radd confronted the invader, Galactus the Devourer of Worlds, who intended to consume Zenn-La.
Radd makes the agreement with the demigod to become his herald. He seeks out new worlds for him to satisfy his hunger in exchange for Galactus sparing Zenn-La.
With the agreement complete, Galactus gives Radd a small portion of his Power Cosmic. Radd transforms into a silver-skinned, cosmic-powered super-being. After many years of service, the Silver Surfer finally turns on Galactus and helps fight him off from Earth.
He knows nearly no limit to the speed by which he can do either. In addition, he does not need sleep and projects energy in whichever way he wants. This means that he can destroy planets, create force fields, heal those around him, create interdimensional portals, and phase through solid matter.
If the above isn’t enough, he can also see through time, and perceive past and future events. He can even influence human emotion and thoughts and possesses telepathy.
The Silver Surfer is easily one of the most powerful superheroes in the universe. Thanks to Galactus, he possesses superhuman endurance, and strength, and is able to both absorb and manipulate the Universe’s ambient energy. He’s also able to travel across time and space.
6/15. Saitama
Also known by the hero name of Caped Baldy, Saitama is the Mc Op of the webcomic and the anime series One-Punch Man. He is the most powerful and the most durable being to exist in the series. He is also one of most the powerful superheroes in anime.
Saitama faces a self-imposed existential crisis, as he is already too powerful to gain any thrill from battle. In that, he is very different from most other combat anime characters. As Goku mentioned earlier, he strives to reach the goal of becoming the strongest person around.
In fact, after only 3 years of rigorous training, he can withstand any blow. He can defeat any enemy with a single serious strike. Let us mention this: So far, no enemy has been able to injure him in any way. Almost no enemy has been able to survive a single earnest punch from him! We think this qualifies him with a high spot on this list of most powerful superheroes.
5/15. Superman (DC Universe)
It comes as little surprise that DC’s flagship character is ranked so high in this list of the most powerful superheroes. After all, this is the Man of Steel. The one who needs no introduction to any pop culture fan around the world. Born Kal-El, better known as Superman, is a super powerful and nigh-indestructible alien from the planet Krypton. With the superhuman strength and a seemingly indestructible body, he grows to become Earth’s mightiest protector.
Thanks to his Kryptonian physiology, while on Earth Superman possesses abilities that appear godlike. His cells store the solar energy of the Earth’s yellow sun. Superman can vacuum outer space, fall from great heights, and can withstand extreme heat. Kal-El can also fly at hypersonic speeds and is even capable of exceeding the speed of light.
And if that’s not enough, Superman has a super-breath – the ability to significantly focus the intensity of his breath to the point of freezing targets by blowing on them or creating hurricane-force winds at will. He has X-Ray vision – the power to see through most objects. And can emit beams of intense heat from his eyes.
As for the Superman vs. Saitama never-ending debate, we agree that the two are so evenly matched that the fight could go any number of ways. Our only contribution to the discussion is that by our calculations there’s no way that Superman will go down in one punch. No wonder he is considered the Justice League’s most powerful superhero and leader.
4/15. Uatu The Watcher (Marvel Comics)
A member of one of the oldest groups of beings in the galaxy, The Watchers, Uatu has been assigned to watch over the Earth and record its events. Uatu possesses vast mental, physical, and energy-manipulating powers.
He is telepathic and able to read the minds of virtually every known form of sentient life. On top of that, he can project his thoughts into any mind. He can convert his body to energy to travel across great distances and even fly into hyperspace. He can transport himself and others around him through time.
Uatu is one of the most powerful superheroes in the galaxy. He has unbelievable immunity to physical damage.
In a weakened state, Uatu was easily capable of withstanding the combined full-force strikes of the Invisible Woman, and the Human Torch. He survived a blast from a molecular disruptor designed by Doctor Doom himself. Now, that’s what we call power.
3/15. Jean Grey (MCU)
A mutant with vast empathic and telepathic abilities. Eventually, she also developed telekinetic powers that were further amplified by merging with the cosmic energies of the Phoenix Force. A powerful cosmic entity capable of creating or destroying matter in the universe.
Jean Grey is the only known Class 5 mutant, with seemingly limitless powers. Her powers are only limited by her mind. At the full extent of her powers, she can manipulate matter at a molecular level at will; she can generate telekinetic shields or barriers to block; contain and impede targets and atomize nearly anything within her surroundings at will.
With all these amazing powers, Grey is considered one of the most powerful superheroes. She is the most powerful female member of the X-Men team. However, when she transforms into the Phoenix, her powers become very unpredictable.
2/15. Doctor Manhattan (DC Comics)
Dr. Jonathan Osterman (Watchmen 2009) was a nuclear physicist who disintegrated in an Intrinsic Field Subtractor test. It transformed him into a god-like being known as Dr. Manhattan. In his new form, Manhattan is shown to be absolutely powerful and invulnerable to all harm; even when his body is disintegrated, he can reconstruct it in a matter of seconds.
His abilities include having complete awareness and control over basic atomic and subatomic particles. He is seemingly invincible and immortal; does not need air, water, food, or sleep, and can teleport himself and others over limitless distances.
He can alter the size of his body, as well as his density and color to whatever he wants. Due to his perception of time, he sees the past, present, and future simultaneously. Actually, Dr. Manhattan is so powerful he could annihilate entire worlds if he wanted to. So, we trust he earned a place in our two topmost powerful superheroes ever.
1/15. The Spectre (DC Comics)
The Spectre is a green superhero and a founding member of the Justice Society of America. He is the divine Spirit of Vengeance – a cosmic entity and the physical embodiment of God’s vengeance on Earth.
As a servant of God, The Spectre is granted limitless power, capable of nearly any feat within his imagination. In fact, his raw physical strength is so great he needs a human host to curb his power so he can control it.
As a divine agent, the Spectre has access to virtually all of the knowledge in the universe. He can project a variety of energies and is capable of warping and controlling reality.
Actually, the Spectre can use his reality alteration ability to simulate any form of superpower. He has the ability to warp time and space.
